What is the critical appreciation of "The Slave's Dream"?

It is clear that this excellent poem, above all, seeks to
present the brutality of slavery by presenting us with the central image of a slave, on
his plantation and dying, dreaming of his former life of liberty in Africa before he was
captured and his life transformed so radically for the worse. The contrast between these
two states is of course meant to highlight how terrible slavery is, as we see the slave
at the beginning of the poem with "matted hair" and "buried in the sand" with a sickle
in his hand. The dreams he has capture the beauty of Africa and the freedom he enjoyed
as the author imagines he was some kind of African noble, striding as a "king" in his
home country. He is reunited in his dreams with his "dark-eyed queen" and their children
and is able to relive his freedom in amidst the beauty of Africa and her flora and
fauna, which are described using excellent imagery:

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At night he heard the lion
roar,

And the hyena
scream,

And the river-horse, as he crushed the
reeds

Beside some hidden
stream;

And it passed, like a glorious roll of
drums,

Through the triumph of his
dream.

Sound, colour, and
sight are used to great effect to conjure up the dream of home in the slave's mind.
Finally, the dream reaches its climax as the liberty of Africa is shouted out through a
personification of the forests and deserts, making the dreamer "smile" in his sleep.
However, the joy of this "return" is cut short by the final stanza, when we realise that
the slave has died and his body is described as a "worn-out fetter" deserted by his
soul. Longfellow in this poem therefore presents us with the brutality of slavery,
evoked through the "driver's whip" and the "heat" of the day, and the lack of freedom
that has been stolen from the slave. However, some critics argue that the dream
Longfellow creates is a romanticised view of African life.

In Act 1, Scenes 4 and 5 of Hamlet, describe your reactions to a character, action or idea.

Obviously your reactions are from
your perceptions of what is happening in the play at this point, but here are a few
things that are happening and some questions you can answer for yourself to get you
thinking about the play.

Scene 4 is about Horatio and
Hamlet waiting for the ghost to appear.  Horatio is concerned for Hamlet's safety
because the appearance of a ghost is rarely a good thing.  Hamlet, on the other hand, is
anxious to see and interact with this ghost.  As they are waiting for the ghost, they
overhear the party that Claudius is holding in another part of the castle.  Hamlet
speaks quite eloquently about where the flaws in human nature come from.  Some questions
to ask yourself:

1.  Is Horatio a good friend?  How do you
know?

2.  Is Hamlet brave or foolish for wanting to see the
ghost?

3.  What do make of Hamlet's commentary on fatal
flaws?  Is he right?  Is this speech really Shakespeare talking about tragic
flaws?

4.  How do you feel about Hamlet's lack of concern
for his safety and his remark that he "doesn't set his life at a pin's
fee"?

5.  How do you now understand Marcellus's famous line
"something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

In scene 5,
the ghost has a long monologue with Hamlet.  It is hear that Hamlet learns several very
disturbing things.  First it is revealed that King Hamlet is in purgatory (not heaven,
not hell) -- a place where he will stay until his "sins are burnt and purged away."  It
is not a pleasant afterlife.  Next the ghost reveals the details of how Claudius killed
King Hamlet and how the ghost feels about his wife and his brother as concerns their
quick marriage.  The ghost asks Hamlet to "let not the royal bed of Denmark be / A couch
for luxery and damned incest."  Hamlet swears to carry out this command and makes the
others swear to not speak a word of they saw this night.  Here are some questions to ask
yourself:

1.  What do you think of the way
the ghost revealed the story of the murder -- the clever build up to the
reveal of Claudius?

2.  How does the ghost blame Claudius
for Gertrude's behavior?  What does this reveal about King Hamlet and his feelings about
Gertrude.

3.  What do you think he is exactly asking of
Hamlet?

4.  What do you think of the ghost's request for
Hamlet to not punish Gertrude?

5.  What do you think
bothers the ghost the most?  dying with sins on his soul; Claudius murdering him;
Claudius and Gertrude's marriage; something else?

6.  What
is your reaction toHamlet's soliloquy after the ghost initally leaves?  Is this what you
expected?  Are you surprised by his determination? 

7.  Now
what do you make of Marcellus's line in the previous
scene?

8.  What do you think of Gertrude as she is
portrayed here by King Hamlet's comments?

Hope these
suggestions help!

What is the sum of the cubes of two numbers if the sum is double their product, that is 6?

First, let's discover the value of the sum of the 2
numbers.

Since it is the double of product, that is 6, that
means that the sum is 12.

Since we know the values of the
sum and the product, we can form the quadratic:

x^2 - 12x +
6 = 0

Now, we'll consider the numbers that verify the
quadratic as x1 and x2:

x1^2 - 12x1 + 6 = 0
(1)

x2^2 - 12x2 + 6 = 0
(2)

We'll add (1) and
(2):

x1^2 + x2^2 = 12(x1 + x2) -
12

But the sum x1 + x2 =
12

x1^2 + x2^2 = 144 - 12

x1^2
+ x2^2 = 132

Now, we'll multiply (1) by
x1:

x1^3 - 12*x1^2 + 6*x1 = 0
(3)

We'll multiply (2) by
x2:

x2^3 - 12*x2^2 + 6*x2 = 0
(4)

We'l add (3) and (4):

x1^3
+ x2^3 = 12(x1^2 + x2^2) - 12*(x1 + x2)

x1^3 + x2^3 =
12*132 - 12*12

x1^3 + x2^3 =
12*(132-12)

x1^3 + x2^3 =
12*120

x1^3 + x2^3 =
1440

The sum of the cubes of the 2 numbers,
whose sum is 12 and product is 6, is: S3 = x1^3 + x2^3 =
1440.

What does common law mean in the first clause of the 7th Amendment?In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollar

The term "common law" is one that is used more by the
British than by Americans, which is one reason why the Framers of the Constitution used
it even though it is not so familiar to us today.  The common law is law that has been
created by the precedents set in court cases.  This is in contrast to law that has been
set out by statutes passed by legislatures.

The basic idea
behind common law is that the decisions made by courts in the past should determine what
the law is today.  This is the idea of stare decisis--the idea that
precedents from past cases should be honored unless there is a very good reason not to. 
This idea is generally applied to torts and contracts, not to criminal
law.

So, common law is law that is based on precedent from
past court cases, not on law.

In Act 2, Scenes 4-6, of Romeo and Juliet, how is Mercutio both the jester and friend?

Mercutio only appears in Act II scene 4, but he is
definitely seen in this scene as playing the dual role of jester and friend to Romeo.
Note the way in which he engages in a battle of wits with Romeo, showing his
intelligence but also his humour through elaborate punning such as the following example
shows:

That's as much as to say, such a case as yours
constrains a man to bow in the hams.

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Here, Mercution is playing on the alternative
meaning of "case" which is a set of clothes, and "hams" to mean
legs.

However, at the same
time, this scene starts off with Mercutio being concerned for his friend Romeo,
wondering where he is and what has happened to him:

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Where the devil should this Romeo
be?

Came he not home
tonight?

Thus we can see in
this scene that Mercutio performs the dual function of friend and jester, both roles
which are accomplished by him brilliantly.

What are the real part and the imaginary part of complex number z if z=square root(2+6i) ?

We'll write the rectangular form of a complex
number:

z = a + bi

a = the
real part = Re(z)

b = the imaginary part =
Im(z)

We'll raise to square both
sides:

z^2 = (a+bi)^2

z^2 =
a^2 + 2abi + b^2*i^2, but i^2  =-1

z^2 = a^2 + 2abi -
b^2

But z^2 = 2 +
6i

Comparing, we'll get:

a^2 +
2abi - b^2 = 2 + 6i

a^2 - b^2 = 2
(1)

2ab = 6

ab =
3

b = 3/a (2)

We'll substitute
(2) in (1):

a^2 - 9/a^2 =
2

We'll multiply by a^2 all
over:

a^4 - 2a^2 - 9 = 0

We'll
substitute a^2 = t

t^2 - 2t - 9 =
0

We'll apply quadratic
formula:

t1 = [2 + sqrt(4 +
36)]/2

t1 = (2+sqrt40)/2

t1 =
1+sqrt10

a^2 = 1+sqrt10

a1 =
+sqrt (1+sqrt10) and a2 = -sqrt (1+sqrt10)

b1 = 3/a1 =
3/sqrt (1+sqrt10)

b1 = 3*sqrt
(1+sqrt10)/(1+sqrt10)

b2 = -3*sqrt
(1+sqrt10)/(1+sqrt10)

The real and imaginary
parts of z are: Re(z) = {-sqrt (1+sqrt10) ; sqrt
(1+sqrt10)}  and Im(z) = {-3*sqrt
(1+sqrt10)/(1+sqrt10) ; 3*sqrt
(1+sqrt10)/(1+sqrt10)}.

Knowing tgx=4 calculate tg2x.

This problem requires the use of the double angle
identity:

tan 2x = tan (x+x) = (tan x + tan x)/[1 - (tan
x)^2]

We'll replace tan x by the given value
4:

tan 2x = (4+4)/(1 - 16)

tan
2x = 8/(-15)

tan 2x =
-8/15

The requested value of tan2x, if tan x
= 4, is tan 2x = -8/15.

Buy $72 worth of petrol at $1.50 per litre.Car uses 8 litres of petrol per 100km travel.What calculation give the number of km travel before tank...

The problem requests the rule of three to determine the
number of Km covered along the trip.

Suppose that the
maximum capacity of your tank is of 55 l.

We'll apply the
rule of three:

8l are necessary for 100
Km

55 l are necessary for x
Km

x = 55l*100Km/8l

x =
55l*25Km/2l

x = 687.5
Km

So, if your tank capacity is of 55l,
you'll have to travel 687.5 Km to empty your
tank.

What are three situations in which Macbeth faces dissonance in Macbeth?

Macbeth faces a dissonance when he murders Duncan.  He
knows that murdering the king is wrong, yet he convinces himself (with some persuasion
by Lady Macbeth) that going through with the murder is the only way that he will become
king.  The disconnect between Macbeth's morals and his actions cause him to feel extreme
guilt immediately following the murder.  Macbeth again faces dissonance when he tells
all the thanes to "fly" once he learns that many of them have left his side to fight for
the English army.  Macbeth does not want to be abandoned and he wants the love of his
men, but his actions are proud and do not reveal his inner thoughts.  Finally, Macbeth
falsely assumes that no one can hurt him because he misinterprets the witches'
prophecy.  The witches tell him that he needs to use caution--especially around Macduff,
but Macbeth disregards all caution when entering into combat with Macduff at the end of
the play.

Find the derivative of y= (2x-3) / (x^2-1)

We need to find the derivative of y = (2x - 3)/(x^2 -
1)

y = (2x - 3)/(x^2 -
1)

=> y = (2x - 3)(x^2 -
1)^(-1)

y' = 2*(x^2 - 1)^(-1) - (2x)(2x - 3)*(x^2 -
1)^(-2)

=> [2*(x^2 - 1) - (2x)(2x - 3)]/(x^2 -
1)^2

=> [2x^2 - 2 - 4x^2 + 6x]/(x^2 -
1)^2

=> [-2x^2 + 6x - 2]/(x^2 -
1)^2

The required derivative is [-2x^2 + 6x -
2]/(x^2 - 1)^2

In Act III of All My Sons, what is shown by the fact that Jim has always known of Keller's guilt, but kept silent?

This is a highly timely and important revelation, as Jim's
understanding of Keller's position and his own revelation about how he has been
similarly involved in acts of compromise underscore the theme of moral compromise due to
monetary greed. Keller is not alone in the world having done what he has done, as the
character of Jim Bayliss makes perfectly clear. Note what he says to Kate in order to
console her and to explain how he knows the truth about her
husband:

We
all come back, Kate. These private little revolutions always die. The compromise is
always made. In a peculiar way. Frank is right--every man does have a star. The star of
one's honesty. And you spend your life groping for it, but once it's out it never lights
again. I don't think he went very far. He probably just wanted to be alone to watch his
star go out.

Note how his own
struggles with precisely the same issue make this central theme of moral compromise for
money a universal issue. Compromise is accepted as a fact of life that cannot be
ignored, but Jim's speech above makes clear the devastating consequences for those who
do allow the light of their star of honesty to become
extinguished.

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, how does Kit's eavesdropping on her uncle affect her?

I assume you are refering to the incident at the beginning
of Chapter Fourteen that describes Fall and how Kit sees her uncle in a different light
after looking at him out of the house and seein what he does, without him aware of her
presence. As she sees the way that he contemplates the golden fields and looks towards
the river, and then the way he picks up earth and holds it with "a curious reverence,"
she feels a kind of solidarity with her uncle, as she sees that he has the same
passionate love for the land that she does. Note what she says after seeing
this:

Kit
backed through the door and closed it softly. She felt as though she had eavesdropped.
When she had hated and feared her uncle for so long, why did it suddenly hurt to think
of that lonely defiant figure in the
garden?

This incident is
therefore very important, as Kit, with this sight of Matthew Wood by himself, discovers
that she is able to identify with him and that they are, in some ways at least,
similar.

Andrew Jackson carved out a middle position on the federal government's role in internal improvements with what? his support of the Worcester v....

The only possible answer here is 4.  None of the other
options have anything whatsover to do with internal
improvements.

The Maysville Road was a road that was
entirely within the state of Kentucky.  The Congress had passed a bill that would have
given federal aid to help build the road.  This was something that Jackson's political
opponents favored because it was an attempt to build the country's infrastructure.  Four
days later, Jackson signed a bill giving government aid to the "National Road."  By
doing this, Jackson carved out a middle position.  He would give some aid to internal
improvements, but he would not allow the federal government to give aid for projects
that were within one state only.

What is the role of the old man in "Her First Ball?"

The old man serves as a reminder that life is not perfect.
Even in Leila's dreamy environment, there is a reality check when the old man claims
that Leila will too grow old and find herself sitting with the old women on stage who
are not dancing.

The old man is a realistic picture of
life. He casts a shadow on Leila's perfect evening. He ruins her evening momentarily. He
brings Leila back down to earth. She was floating on ecstasy, but the old man reminds
her that life is not always glamorous. Eventually, the young at heart will grow old and
have to face the reality of old age. Although this is all true, Leila did not have to be
reminded of such a dreadful description of old age on her magical
evening:

Leila
laughs at the fat man's words, though they bother her inwardly because she realizes that
they are essentially true. One day she will grow old; then no one will dance with her,
and she will become one of the
chaperons.

In every fairy
tale, there is also a dreadful person who tries to steal someone's happiness. The old
man serves as Leila's evil doomsday speaker. He serves as the wicked stepmother or evil
queen. Leila's perfect evening is ruined until she meets the young man with curly hair.
Dancing with him brings back the magic she is enjoying, even if it is only
temporary.

How does Harper Lee develop Atticus throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird?I know Atticus didn't change that much, but how did Atticus change in...

Harper Lee lets the reader know from the very first page
(which is a retrospective view from the older Scout) that the Finch children respect
their attorney father. But in early chapters, Atticus seems distant from the family.
Calpurnia rules the roost while he is away, and he always defends her disciplinary
actions. He threatens to spank the children several times, but we learn later from Jem
that he has never had to do so. Chapter 10 is one of the pivotal chapters as far as the
children discovering the secret talents of Atticus. They learn, much to their surprise,
that, despite his bad eyesight, he is a crack marksman. Because he has never bragged
about this talent, they understand how deeply humble a man he is. The children already
respect his courtroom talents, but they get to seem them up close during the trial. They
recognize, even though the jury doesn't, that he has adequately proved his
case, and several people claim that only Atticus could have gotten the jury to
deliberate so long on such a case. They recognize his love of all humanity in his
dealings with Mrs. Dubose, Mr. Cunningham and, later, Tom and Helen Robinson; he even
refuses to fight the undersized Bob Ewell after he is spat upon. His gentlemanly
ways are not lost on Jem, and the children come to recognize the dangers he had
undertaken by accepting the Robinson case in the first place. In the end, Scout realizes
that Atticus had been right when he had told her that it is always best to step into the
other person's skin before judging them

In "Young Goodman Brown," what characters act in ways against the Puritan ideals?

In Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," if the perception of
the witch-meeting is what Goodman Brown remembers, then all the characters have acted in
way against Puritan ideals of behavior that is exemplary.  The problem is, however,
whether Goodman Brown has fallen asleep in the forest and merely dreamed all that has
transpired, or whether it has all actually occurred.  This ambiguity is never fully
resolved in Hawthorne' story.  For, despite what has occurred, Goodman Brown has lost
his faith and become hereafter

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a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a
desperate man...from the night of that fearful
dream.

If, then, what occured
has been real, all the characters in the narrative have strayed from the ideals of
Puritanism.

1. The traveler, of course, is the
   devil


2. Goody Cloyse, who rides past Goodman, is a witch
   herself, albeit Goodman's catechism teacher.


3. Deacon
   Gookin is a black mass enthusiast, saying he would rather attend the witch-meeting than
   an ordination of a minister.


4. The minister of the black
   mass certainly violates the precepts of
   Puritanism.

Regarding Faith's disobedience
there is ambiguity, however, as is among the proselytes and is about to have the satanic
mark of baptism laid upon her forehead when Goodman urges her to look to heaven,
but "[W]hether Faith obeyed he knew not."

I need to write a contemporary short love story based on a theme in Much Ado About Nothing. However, I am stuck for modern ideas. Please enlighten me!

Much Ado About Nothing, by William
Shakespeare, has a plot and a subplot, either of which would be excellent material for a
modern spin. The subplot involves Beatrice and Benedick, two witty young people, who are
attracted to each other, but too prideful to admit it.  So their friends must trick them
to bring them together.  This same trick could work in a high school setting, where
friends speak loudly enough to be overheard by a certain young man that a young woman is
in love with him, and vice versa.  These scenes could be carried out in a gym locker
room or a high school hallway between class changes.  The trick would be to make the
conversation clever and funny.

The main plot of the play
concerns mistaken identity.  Claudio thinks that his fiancee is sleeping with another
man.  He mistakes another woman for his fiancee Hero, and he publicly embarrasses Hero
by refusing to marry her at their wedding, calling her all kinds of names.  Again, these
scenes would be easy to update, playing around with the idea of mistrust, appearance
versus reality, and the inequality of the sexes.

Lastly,
one of the major points of the play is the examination of male solidarity.  It seems
that the play shows how men tend to stick together, to believe each other, rather than
the women that they supposed love.  When Benedick honors Beatrice's request to challenge
his friend Claudio to a duel, he is in fact breaking this male code and siding with a
woman, something that was rarely done.  Such a situation could be written about in a
contemporary setting--a man sides with the woman he loves and turns against his
"homeboys," his buds, his bros, his pals--whatever you wish to call
them.

This is an interesting assignment.  Good luck with
it.

Why is Act Three, Scene Two the turning point of Macbeth?

One can make an argument for many scenes being turning
points in Shakespeare's Macbeth:  Lady Macbeth's shaming Macbeth
into killing Duncan; Macbeth's killing of the grooms (a veering from his wife's plan
which suggests his guilt to at least Macduff); Malcom's acceptance of Macduff as an
ally, etc.  Act 3:2 is not a scene that stands out as a turning
point. 

If you must answer a prompt emphasizing Act 3:2 as
a turning point, however, the scene does demonstrate Macbeth's emergence as the person
in charge, as the man, so to speak, who wears the pants in the family.  Instead of
relying on his wife to strategize and make plans, Macbeth has taken over the planning,
as evident in this scene.  Ideas of how to proceed are now his own.  He makes the plans
and carries them out without his wife's participation or consent.  Act 3:2 reveals his
plans to have Banquo assassinated.  His wife is totally unaware of these plans.  He has
reversed the roles the two played in Act 1.   

Of course,
this is to Macbeth's detriment.  He might have gotten away with killing Duncan if he had
stuck to his wife's plan.  Lady Macbeth is the planner of the family.  Macbeth makes
mistake after mistake once he takes over.  Instead of relying on his wife, he decides
what to do on his own.  Worse, he also uses the witches as advisers.  His poor decision
making dooms him. 

This is made concrete in Act 3:2.  His
wife is worried about their security.  Macbeth tells her not to worry.  He has taken
care of the situation.  He has ordered the assassination of Banquo.  Of course, Banquo's
assassination is just another coincidence that eventually leads Macbeth's lords to turn
against him.  And Fleance's escape ensures that Macbeth will leave no legacy of kings to
rule Scotland. 

Compare and contrast the poem "Marrysong" by Dennis Scott, and Shakespeare's Sonnet 29.

The poem "Marrysong" by Dennis Scott, and Shakespeare's
Sonnet 29, have few similarities and many differences.

In
"Marrysong," we learn of a man and the woman that he loves. In Sonnet 29, the speaker
turns his attention [only] in the last six lines of the sonnet to a
woman that he loves. However, this is the only similarity I
see.

Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 is about a man who sees his
life as a complete failure. The first two quatrains (or four-line stanzas) deal with
descriptions of his poor self-esteem. He feels that the world has no regard for him, his
luck is awful, and he is neither smart nor good-looking. However, at the beginning of
the ninth line, the focus of the poem shifts dramatically to include jubilant thoughts
of the woman that he loves, and that by thinking of her, he feels that no one in the
world is more fortunate than he, not even "kings."

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Thy sweet love remember'd such wealth
brings

That then I scorn to change my state with
kings.

In "Marrysong,"
however, the entire poem is about a man whose woman/wife seems to drive him to
distraction. There is no feeling of great joy when the author describes her, for she
seems to be a person of changeable moods who can take a great day and destroy it, or
take an ordinary day and make it truly memorable. She is a powerful force in the man's
life and he often does not know how to deal with her. However, by the end of the poem,
we know that he loves her enough that he will stay will her, accepting her and loving
her for who she is, and dedicating himself to better knowing
her.

Stayed
home increasingly to find 
his way among the landscapes of her
mind.

Additional
Source:

http://kinnareads.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/21-days21-poems-marrysong-by-dennis-scott/

What role does the snow have in the last scene of "The Dead"?

One of the central themes of "The Dead" and indeed all of
the stories from the book in which this story appears, Dubliners,
is that of paralysis and the way that the past and deadening routines can actually
produce in us a real paralysis that prevents us from making decisions or acting upon our
feelings and judgements. Take Gabriel Conroy, for example. He is a character that is
obsessed by the image that others have of him, that really prevents him from doing
anything meaningful. He worries constantly about his speech, and whether including a
poem would make it too "high-brow" for the audience. He wants to kiss his wife at one
stage, but never actually gets round to it. He is a character who defines the kind of
paralysis that Joyce is writing about, in sharp contrast to Michael
Furey.

At the end of the story, the snow acts as something
that unites both the dead and the living in this state of
paralysis:

His
soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and
faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the
dead.

However, interestingly,
although the snow is shown to cover all of Ireland, suggesting that the entire nation is
subject to this state of frozen paralysis, there is some hope offered by Gabriel's last
thoughts, as humans might be able to free themselves from this state of paralysis:
"Better to pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than
fade and wither dismally with age." Letus remember that snow is rare in Ireland in
January, and therefore will not last forever.

What is the poem "To You Who Would Wage War Against Me" by Kateri Akiwenzie about?

Poetry is all subjective. The interpretation of a poems
lies heavily on what a reader is bring to the reading. So, what I can offer you is my
understanding and interpretation of the poem.

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there are many lines
you have not
traced on my palms
still
you think you know me

when i speak
you nod knowingly
as if

you've already read my mind
and are only politely acknowledging

the confirmation of my spoken
words

This stanza, of "To You
Who Would Wage War Against Me", signifies the stereotypes that people hold when they
base our character upon preconceived ideas about who we are.  The look at us, our
clothing, our mannerisms, the way we speak ("there are many lines you have not traced on
my palms").  The speaker of the poem knows that those around her do not listen- how many
times have we been in this situation? We are talking and the only recognition we receive
is that of a superficial nature-recognition that I am speaking, but they are not really
listening ("are only politely acknowledging the confirmation of my spoken
words").

By the end of the poem, it seems that a mother is
talking to her child's father.  She feels betrayed that he has not taken true time to
get to know her as a person- he only knows her
superficially.

She fears that her daughter can see her
fears, but her only thoughts are that her daughter has brought her more emotion than any
fight ever has.

The narrator feels abandoned emotionally by
the father of her child.  In the end, she knows that her daughter is the only one who
can truly see inside her. It is her daughter's true understanding that calms her fears
about the contemplations.

Are Shakespeare's works written in Middle English?

No.  The works of William Shakespeare are written in what
is known as Early Modern English.  Middle English was used between the late 11th and
late 15th centuries.  Shakespeare was born in 1564, well after the date of 1470 that is
usually given as the end of the era of Middle English.

A
major piece of literature that was written in Middle English was The
Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.  If you look at a little bit of that
work in the original, you will see how different it is from original Shakespeare
material.  Here is the beginning of Chaucer's work in the
original:

WHAN that Aprille with
his shoures soote

The droghte
of Marche hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich
licour,

Of which vertu engendred is the
flour;

Chaucer's Middle
English is essentially unintelligible to us whereas Shakespeare's language is archaic,
but basically understandable in the original.

Thus, it is
clear that Shakespeare is not writing in the same language as
Chaucer.

write about the american Dream (success-capitalism-happiness)

Willy Loman's misguided interpretation of the so-called
"American Dream" drives him to be consumed by an all-encompassing notion that material
wealth and social acceptance are the only true measures of success in a man's
life.

For examples of how Willy's poisoned view of success taints the
fabled "American Dream," look to Act II when Willy's flashback recounts the afternoon
before the big football game at Ebbet's Field. Charley jokes that it is just a game,
mockingly forgetting the name of Red Grange and suggesting that the stadium had been
demolished in order to reiterate his point. Willy, however, is so obsessed with his
son's upcoming performance "in front of all the clients" that explodes at his friend for
diminishing what will no doubt be Biff's moment in the sun.

Throughout
the text, there is a recurrent theme of outer versus inner, where Willy projects an
"American Dream" of an idealized life that never actually happened. While his real life
is a humdrum nightmare of overdue bills, whipped cheese, and broken timing belts,
Willy's "American Dream" is a litany of coulda', shoulda', woulda's, all of which are
typically characterized by his memories (or imaginings) of great monetary wealth (as he
recounts his legendary sales figures to Howard in Act II, and the lost opportunity to
strike it rich in Alaska with Ben), high social standing ("I'll go to Boston... I'm well
liked in Boston") , and lofty recognition (note how Willy swears that he actually gave
Howard his name) that he never quite managed to attain.

This is an
outstanding book, and it is well worth a read!

What is A Owen Aldridge's opinion of Thomas Paine's The Crisis in his article?

Aldridge writes about how Paine's work is regarded as a
political treatise, but actually reads more of exhortations with a "cheerful gloom"
tone.  Aldridge analyzes the impact that Paine's work holds, a work that he notes
receives much less analysis than his other pamphlet, Common
Sense. Aldridge points out one of the striking features of
Paine's work is that it captures an American spirit, an essence that would not
articulated until quite later.  In writing about a situation where the start of the war
featured more British victories than Colonial ones, and a setting where the might of the
British was on display for all, Aldridge suggests that one striking feature of the
pamphlet was how Paine was able to see through this and argue that success is intrinsic
to the spirit of positivism that was such a part of the
Colonies:

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...Paine introduces the theory that the physical
size of America exercises a kind of metaphysical influence upon the inhabitants of the
country by endowing them with sublime thoughts and superior abilities, a theme which he
later developed in Rights of Man and
which became celebrated in the bombastic phrases of his admirer, Walt
Whitman.

It is interesting to
note that Paine was able to envision a notion of America that would not be fully
articulated until the Transcendental movement, a good seventy to eighty years before its
time.  Such a notion highlights Aldridge's belief that Paine understood much about
America even before America did.  He recognized that victory was essential in order to
bring this character out of its own nation and into the world.  For this, Aldridge
believes that Paine should receive much in way of praise.

In Act 2 of All My Sons, what are the different attitudes towards Chris?

The conflict that centers in Chris is that of the idealist
who thinks things should always be decided by principles (ideas/ideals), the position
that he takes, and that of the realist who understands that there aren't always
absolutes, that all decisions are made in a context; this is the position that Joe
takes.

Sue Bayliss makes the point that Chris' idealism has
"wrecked" her husband, making him more interested in research (which doesn't produce
much money) and a medical practice which can provide a better income, always wanting
people to be better than they can be; she represents one point of view.   We see this in
Chris' conversation about his troops in the war.  He says if they had been a bit more
selfish, they might have been home now.  On the other hand, Joe was faced with an
immediate and practical decision, and he did what he thought was right for his family. 
His decision is motivated by what he knows of the war ... that no one shipped a tank or
a weapon until they got their "price" for it.  It's difficult to know if he thought he
would be able to catch the cracked cylinder heads and replace them before they were
used; but that's not what happened.  His decision was not based on ideals/ideas, but on
the realities of the moment.

Who was correct?  Have to
leave that up to you.

How does Lord of the Flies reflect the archetypal 'hero's journey'?Please give examples.

In a typical hero's journey, the hero is sent out to
discover some truth or discovery that can return harmony to the land.  Along the way,
the hero often encounters peril, danger, and trials; often the difficulty of the journey
forces the hero to struggle mentally and emotionally as well, sometimes forcing him to
overcome personal faults or struggles. 

Lord of
the Flies shares several similarities with the archetypal 'hero's journey.' 
Although none of the boys actually travel within the story except around the island,
they are traveling when the plane crashes.  The boys do encounter danger on the island
in the form of the beast, the elements, and each other.  Ralph discovers the darkness in
man's heart as the other boys descend into savagery, and he struggles emotionally
throughout the novel in his effort to remain true to himself without becoming a savage
like the other boys. 

What do critics say about Waiting for Godot ?

For the most part, critics today see Beckett's work as a
masterpiece.  Most have come to see it as a landmark of theatre, a work whose thematic
importance is only matched by its artistic.  This was not always the viewpoint when it
first opened.  European audiences saw much relevancy in Beckett's work.  There was
general acclaim for the work and what it sought to represent.  At the same time, many in
Europe were able to debate the thematic implications of the work in realms such as
religion, ethics, and philosophy.  When the work came to America, reception was not as
intensely positive.  The work struggled to find a niche with people wondering "if a
joke" had been perpetrated.  American audiences had a tough time with Beckett's work,
its staging, and the end thematic ideas.  Interestingly enough, the production at San
Quentin prison earned a great deal of acclaim.  It seemed that while the general
American public had a difficult time understanding the work, those incarcerated at San
Quentin understood what the play was saying about waiting and
hope.

In A Separate Peace, how are Gene and Finny allegorical or symbolic characters?

The novel can be interpreted as an allegory in which Gene
and Finny both play significant roles. As they move through their final year at Devon,
knowing that the awful realities of World War II await them, their journey becomes an
extended metaphor for the loss of innocence. From the summer of 1942 until the spring of
1943, Gene and Finny experience one emotional shock after another and struggle in their
own ways to survive them. By the conclusion of the novel, Finny has been forced to face
Gene's betrayal and Gene has come to understand his role in Finny's destruction; Finny
dies and Gene goes to war: Innocence is lost.

The novel as
allegory is further supported by the other characters, especially Brinker and Leper. The
boys of Devon become a metaphor for the entire generation of American young men who had
to grow up too quickly to meet the demands of World War II. In the novel's conclusion,
Gene's mature understanding of what causes war, "something ignorant in the human heart,"
moves the allegory into the realm of universal
truth.

Within the allegory, Finny acts as the symbol of
innocence. Of all the characters, only he is not given a last name, suggesting his
symbolic significance in the story. In Finny's grace, joy, kindness, humor, love, and
unrealistic optimism, he symbolizes the best qualities of being young and as yet
untouched by the adult world. Since he does not survive in the novel, his death becomes
symbolic of the death of youthful innocence itself.

What is the purpose of two minute hate in 1984?

Part of their government's control of the population
depends on their ability to convince them that there is an "enemy" out there who
threatens their happiness and security, and that the government, and ONLY the
government, has the power to protect them from this enemy.  It is important to keep this
enemy before the people and even more important that they share some kind of emotional
response to this evil person.  In 1984, that function is served by Goldstein.  He
threatens them; they get together to shout him down ... only to have him replaced by the
image of Big Brother ... the one who protects them from him.  It does things on the
emotional level that might not work as well on the intellectual level.  If you want to
see how this works, just watch the Republican or Democratic National Conventions next
year ....

[If you want to see how this works in the novel,
buy/rent the movie version of 1984 ... the depiction of the Two Minutes Hate is
excellent.]

Another thing Goldstein allows Orwell to do,
rather clumisly I think, is to introduce the theoretical underpinings of the opposition
when Winston gets his hands on a "copy" of "The Theory of Oligarchical Collectivism."
 This allows him to get information in to the story that would be difficult to include
without a subservice author to present the case in his text.  It's similar to what
Huxley does in Brave New World when he has the "lecture" at the beginning of the book
when he explains how they came to be.  Sometimes it's difficult for a dystopian author
to get the "facts" into the story in an economical way ... Goldstein allows Orwell to do
this.

In the book, To kill a Mockingbird, why are so many in Maycomb racist and disrespectful against black people ( Negroes) ?To Kill a Mockingbird by...

With the setting of Harper Lee's novel, To Kill
a Mockingbird in the Southern town of Maycomb, modeled after Monroeville,
Alabama, during the Great Depression, Jim Crow Laws were in effect.  These laws
prohibited blacks from living in certain parts of town; they could not walk on sidewalks
where a white person walked, but must step down.  Everything was segregated such as the
public restrooms and schools, restaurants, churches, courthouses, movie theaters, etc.
Ordinances were made "in order to prevent incidents, tension, and disorder."  Many a law
was made regarding miscegenation, as well. In short, descendants of former slaves were
kept in their own communities and separated in public places so that there would be no
mixing of the races.  Since the prevailing attitude was that one race was superior to
the other race that had once been in slavery, white people of the town of Maycomb
believe that they are superior to blacks.  And, the blacks go along with the Jim Crow
laws because they are afraid of being hanged or punished in some way. With this
established way of things, many of the young people and children are raised with the
same attitude that the Negro is an inferior being.

Of
course, among the population in Maycomb there are those who do not agree with the Jim
Crow Laws.  Atticus Finch is one; Mr. Raymond Dolphus and Miss Maudie are
others.

answer the soliloques in hamlet?

The soliloquys from Shakespeare's Hamlet below are
extracts from the full modern English Hamlet ebook, and should help you to understand
the main Hamlet soliloquys:

O that this too too solid flesh
would melt (Spoken by Hamlet, Act 1 Scene2)

O,what a rogue
and peasant slave am I (Spoken by Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2)

To
be, or not to be (Spoken by Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1)

Oh my
offence is rank, it smells to heaven (Spoken by Claudius, Act 3 Scene
3)

Now might I do it pat (Spoken by Hamlet, Act 3 Scene
3)

How all occasions do inform against me (Spoken by
Hamlet, Act 4 Scene 4)

What style did Harold Pinter use in The Homecoming?

As in other Pinter's plays of the late 1950s and 1960s,
The Homecoming has a realist setting but its style baffled
audiences who were still used to reliable plot development and meaningful dialogues
between the characters to advance the events in the play. Thus, except for the surface,
the style of the play points to the absurd condition of human existence. The progression
of the play does not always follow a cause-effect development as the audiences would
have expected when it was first produced. In addition, very little reliable information
is given about the characters' past and their actions. The conclusion where Ruth accepts
to become a prostitute and provide sexual solace to his husband's male family members is
given in such a matter-of-fact way so as to create in the viewers a disturbing clash
between what they think absurd and what the characters in the play think as acceptable.
Thus, Pinter's style in The Homecoming invites audiences to go
beyond the referentiality of language and the characters' utterances to explore their
deeper motivations and behaviors.

The view of a nineteenth century liberal is best represented by the belief that A. Wealth should be shared equally among all B. Class difference...

The best answer to this is
C.

In the 19th century, the meaning of the word "liberal"
was not really the same as its meaning today.  Today, a liberal would be someone who
believes things like D.  A liberal is a person who believes in more government
intervention into the economy.

By contrast, a liberal in
the 19th century was someone like Adam Smith who believed in more free trade and less
government regulation.  A liberal wanted people to be free to pursue their economic
interests instead of having to follow government rules about, for example, what could be
produced and where it could be sold.

How does the symbol of Richard Cory reveal the theme of the poem "Richard Cory"?

The image of Richard Cory, the symbolism of both who he
was and how the town saw him, are of vital importance to the theme of the poem.  The
idea of Richard Cory being someone of respect, and with almost an aura of regalia to him
is essential to understanding what happened to him.  People regarded him in an almost
point of view.  His amassing of wealth cut him off from people and this helped to feed
the perception of him as being someone who "glittered" apart from others.  While this
helped to intensify the way people looked at him, it might hint at the fundamental
sadness that is apparent in his character, causing him to not be able to forge anything
in way of social solidarity with others.  This isolation compelled him to end his life
in the manner he did and cause a level of uncertainty in how he was viewed by others. 
His being "richer than a king" was a symbol of how the town viewed him, but it was also
representative of how alienated Cory was from himself and
others.

What is a ceiling effect?

The term "ceiling effect" has two different meanings in
social science research.

First, a ceiling effect is seen
when an independent variable no longer affects a dependent variable after the
independent variable reaches some particular level.  As an example, let's say that the
richer a person becomes, the more likely he or she is to be a Republican.  But let's
also say that once the person's wealth (the independent variable) reaches a certain
level, getting more money (increase in the independent variable) does not make the
person more likely to be a Republican (no more effect on the dependent
variable.

Second, "ceiling effect" can refer to studies in
which a variable is not measured above a certain level.  For example, a survey of how
much money people make might have a last category for $1 million per year
and up.  This is a ceiling effect because the variable
(income) is no longer measured past the $1 million per year
level.

What are some of the important themes in the Jourdon Anderson Letter?

I assume that you are talking about the letter that is in
the gmu.edu link below.  There are many important themes in this letter.  Some of them
include:

• The idea that some slaves, at least,
  were somewhat inclined to feel affection for their former masters.  Anderson tells his
  former master that he feels affection for him even though Col. Anderson was shooting at
  him when they were last together.  He feels this way even though he was enslaved for 32
  years.  This is very interesting because we often would not think of slaves having any
  affection for their masters.


• Lingering distrust that
  balances the affection.  Anderson's letter is full of ambivalence.  He expresses
  affection, but it is also very clear that he does not trust his former
  master.


• The prevalence of sexual violence towards slave
  women.  You can see this at the end of the letter where Anderson hopes for some
  reassurance that his daughters would not be treated like Matilda and Catherine
  (presumably older daughters) were.


• Pride.  Anderson is
  clearly a proud person.  He values the work that he did while enslaved.  He values
  himself and his dignity and that of his family members.  This pride endured through all
  those years of slavery.

In these ways, this
letter gives us a real window into the attitudes of former slaves soon after the end of
the Civil War.

What is the theme of Henry Howard's poem "So cruel prison how could betide?"

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, wrote "So cruel prison how
could betide" when he was imprisoned.

I believe the theme
of Howard's poem is that "good friends and good times can be lost at any time, so
appreciate them while you can." The Earl of Surrey was a talented young man, however,
caught up in the politics of the time, he was arrested more than once. The final time,
in order to break the power of the Howard family, a rival falsely accused him of
treason, and Henry Howard was executed at the age of thirty. However, he was not the
only one of his friends to leave this world too early. The poem describes a great man
situations they all enjoyed together.

This poem speaks to
Howard's experiences of the past, and some of the company he
kept:

With a
king's son my childish years did
pass...

The places he visited
and how he felt:

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The large green courts, where we were wont to
hove,
With eyes cast up unto the Maidens' Tower,
And easy sighs,
such as folk draw in
love.

Even as he remembers
these things, the sweet memories turn sour because of the change in his
circumstances.

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Where each sweet place returns a taste full
sour...

Howard recalls the
women in their brightly colored clothes, the dances and "long tails of great delight."
He remembers playing a game and losing sight of the ball because he had seen one he
loved and tried to impress her: "To bait her eyes..."

There
were times when friends participated in "sword play," the drinking "...silver drops [of]
mead...", playing games "of nimbleness and strength" where their limbs had yet to grow
(i.e., they were still very young). There was the company of ladies, time in the wild
forest, and riding in the hunt, pursuing deer
("hart"):

With
cry of hounds and merry blasts between,
Where we did chase the fearful hart a
force...

Things that he took
for granted—a good night's rest and happy dreams:

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...such sleeps as yet delight,
The
pleasant dreams, the quiet bed of
rest...

Howard recalls, in
general, the good fortune he has enjoyed: the trust of friends, foolish talk,
friendships, careful promises and things that passed the time in the dead of winter,
things he probably never thought would disappear:

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The secret thoughts imparted with such
trust,
The wanton talk, the divers change of play,
The friendship
sworn, each promise kept so just,
Wherewith we passed the winter nights
away.

At this point, the tone
of the poem pivots, changing dramatically. The joy of these memories fades in face of
the reality of his present situation. The blood drains from his face, tears course down
his cheeks, his sighs are sobs. In prison he wishes ("pines") for freedom. He finds
little relief.

Hippolyte Taine, author of History
of English literature, writes that the poem expresses Howard's enormous sense
of loss over the passing of friends—all of who died young. Howard would soon join
them.

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[Surrey] records his griefs, regretting his
beloved Wyatt, his friend Clere, his companion the young Duke of Richmond, all dead in
their prime. Alone, a prisoner at Windsor, he recalls the happy days they have passed
together.

The majority of the
poem's images describe the past and days that brought Henry Howard a great deal of
pleasure. The end of the poem is steeped in grief, expressing the pain over the loss of
his friends and the wonderful days they spent together.

In Fahrenheit 451,what were Beatty's reasons that books shouldn't be read?

Captain Beatty visits Montag when he realizes that Montag
is having an internal struggle with his role as a fireman.  He explains the fireman's
primary role is to protect the people from unhappiness which arises from the ideas in
the books.   Books represent the freedom of ideas which are very troublesome because
they create conflict and uncertainty. The fireman's role was to burn the books and thus
extinguish the unhappiness that accompanied the books.  Beatty likens books to a loaded
gun.  He states:

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You always dread the unfamiliar. Surely you
remember the boy in your own school class who was exceptionally bright,' did most of the
reciting and answering while the others sat like so many leaden idols, hating him. And
wasn't it this bright boy you selected for beatings, and tortures after hours? Of course
it was. We must all be alike. Not everyone is born free and equal, as the Constitution
says, but everyone is made equal. Each man the image of every
other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge
themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn
it.

Solve for x the equation log2(x)=log2(4)+3logx(2)

We'll write log2 (4) = log2
(2^2)

We'll apply the power
property:

log2 (2^2) = 2*log2
(2)

But log2 (2) = 1 => log2 (4) =
2

We'll write log(x) 8 = 1/log (8)
x

log(2) x =log(8) x*log(2)
8

log(2) 8= log(2) (2^3)

We'll
use the power property of logarithms:

log(2) (2^3) =
3log(2) (2) = 3

log(2) x =3*log(8) x => log(8)
x=log(2) x/3

The equation will
become:

log(2) x - 2 - 3/log(2) x =
0

[log(2) x]^2 - 2log(2) x - 3 =
0

Let log(2) x be t:

t^2 - 2t
- 3 = 0

t1 = [2+sqrt(4 +
12)]/2

t1 = (2+4)/2

t1 =
3

t2 = -1

log(2) x = 3
=> x = 2^3 => x = 8

log(2) x = -1 => x
= 2^-1 => x = 1/2

The requested
solutions of the equation are: x = 1/2 and x = 8.

Find the range of f(x)= sqrt(x+1) + 4.

The range of a function y = f(x) is all the real values
that y can take while the value of x lies in the domain of the function. The domain of
the function is all the values of x for which y is
real.

Here f(x) = sqrt (x + 1) +
4

The square root is real only for non-negative numbers.
This gives x + 1 >=0 or x lies in the interval [-1,
inf.]

For values of x in the interval [-1, inf.], y has
values in the interval [4, inf.]

The range of
f(x) = sqrt(x + 1) + 4 is [4, inf.]

How does Gillian Clake make the reader sympathise with the suffering in "Lament"?

Clearly the major wa in which this occurs is through the
painting of very strong and stark visual images that help to convey the suffering that
has been created thanks to the war. Let us remember that this poem is written about the
Gulf War of 1991 and the subsequent damage caused to all aspects of life. One of the
things that Clarke is trying to stress and show is that war affects the environment just
as much as it does people, and each stanza serves to powerfully reinforce this by
creating unforgettable images of nature suffering thanks to the chaos of war waged by
man. Let us examine the following example:

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For the cormorant in his funeral
silk,

the veil of iridescence on the
sand,

the shadow on the
sea.

Note how reference is
made to the pollution of oil in the ocean, and how it forms a "veil of iridescence" on
the sand, capturing the beauty of oil and the many colours it produces, yet combining it
with the "veil" of death it has created for the cormorant and so many other examples of
nature. The poem refers to several other casualties of nature thanks to the war, and
also human casualties as well, but perhaps it is the final stanza that presents the
starkest image of what is really being lost:

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For the burnt earth and the sun put
out,

the scalded ocean and the blazing
well.

For vengeance, and the ashes of
language.

The strong images
of how the earth itself is "burnt" by the momentous and tragic events of war and the
ocean is "scalded" draw our attention to the wider cost of the conflict. The terrific
final line itself represents a lament of how war and the way that truth is sacrificed to
justify it results in a situation where "language" itself is burnt, leaving nothing but
"ashes" that are used to form half-truths to justify such
desolation.

In Ethan Frome, Why is the setting relevant to the plot? Or how?

The setting of the story Ethan Frome
by Edith Wharton is the town of Starkfield, Massachusetts; a place which is cold,
desolate, barren, not festive at all, and limiting due to its weather and lack of
everything.

Within Starkfield is the house of Ethan and
Zeena Frome: Equally desolate, equally barren, limiting, and as depressing as the lives
of each of the characters, themselves.

The way in which
these settings are relevant and essential to the plot, is by instilling in the reader
the atmosphere that is so necessary to understand the oppression of Ethan's life, and to
appreciate the sadness of how it all ended for him. Therefore, Wharton achieves the tone
that is so allegorical of the sadness and loneliness in the lives of each of the
characters.

Why have Kira, Thomas and Jo been taken to the Edifice in Gathering Blue?

Kira, Thomas and Jo are possessed of an almost magical
talent that gives them the ability to, respectively, weave incredibly intricate scenes
with beautiful colours, carve amazingly detailed depictions into wood and lastly, sing
incredible songs. They have the ability, through their talent, to predict the future and
what will happen to the world. Kira's job, after all, after finishing repair jobs to the
Singer's jacket, is to weave the future onto the blank space on the jacket's shoulders,
just as Thomas will carve the future onto the staff and Jo will sing it. Note what we
are told in the final chapter:

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The three of them--the new little Singer who
would one day take the chained Singer's place; Thomas the Carver, who with his
meticulous tools wrote the history of the world; and she herself, the rone who coloured
that history--they were the artists who could create the
future.

For the Guardians,
then, who are obsessed about maintaining control and preserving their rules in the
society that this story is set in, to control the future means to maintain their power.
They have found a way "to steal and harness other people's powers for their own needs."
Their manipulation and abuse of power is forcing the children to "describe the future
they wanted, not the one that could be."  So, because of their ability to "create" the
future, Jo, Thomas and Kira are incredibly and vitally important, both for the
preservation and the future of humanity, but also for the cynical Guardians, who intend
to use them to maintain their power.

What are the probable weather conditions in the state of Florida?

The climate of most of Florida is categorized as
humid subtropical though the very southernmost part of the state is
fully tropical.  As a result, Florida tends to experience a very
wet rainy season at least 4 months out of the year, from June to September.  Because of
its coastal location as a peninsula, Florida is of course susceptible to hurricanes, but
many are surprised to hear that Florida is actually one of the most tornado-prone
states.  The months of the rainy season bring the highest risk of tropical
cyclones.

For the rest of the year, Florida's temperatures
are mild to moderate.  It is not unheard of to experience a 70 degree day in the winter
in mid- or south Florida, which is why it remains the top state for migrating "snow
birds" who wish to spend their winters in moderate temperatures.  Though average summer
temperatures tend to peak in the low 90s, daily afternoon and early evening
thunderstorms provide a break from the heat.

Why does Sonny set the cup down in "Sonny's Blues"?His brother sends him a cup of scotch while he plays the piano

In James Baldwin's music-ridden "Sonny's Blues," the
narrator brother sits in the shadows of the nightclub and realizes the "awful
relationship" between the musician and his instrument; a relationship much like that
between the soul and the body.  For, the musician fills his instrument with the "breath
of life, his own."  As he watches and listens to his brother Sonny, the narrator
perceives on Sonny's face the "fire and fury" of the engagement of soul and body.  He
listens to Sonny's own blues:

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For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we
are delighted, and how we may triumph in never new, it always must be heard.  There
isn't any other tale to tell, it's the only light we've got in all this
darkness.

As the music
becomes Sonny's, the narrator realizes that he, too, must share in this experience,
freeing Sonny from his blues, even if only for a moment. In this sharing, meaning is
given to Sonny's music.  As a toast to this accomplishment, the narrator offers drinks
to the musicians.  When the waitress brings Sonny a Scotch and milk, Sonny sips from it
and looks to the narrator, and nods in acknowledgement of their communion.  For the
narrator who understands this communion of their souls--a bond formed by the music and
its soulful evocations--the drink that is placed on the top of the piano glows as it
becomes symbolic of the suffering and trouble Sonny has experienced.  But, now it is the
"very cup of trembling" in which the narrator has partaken, too.

What is the plot of Sophocles Oedipus Rex?

In Oedipus Rex, the plot begins with
the people of Thebes facing a plague on the land. The oracle claims that the plague will
end when the murderer of King Laius is found and punished. Oedipus, as king, cares about
his subjects. He is the first to exclaim that he will see to it that King Laius'
murderer is found, vowing to curse and drive out the
murderer.

The prophet Tiresias is summoned. He wishes to
say nothing until Oedipus makes him angry by accusing him because of his silence. In
anger, Tiresias blurts out that Oedipus is the pollution in the
land.

A messenger comes to tell that the King of Corinth is
dead. Believing this to be Oedipus' true father, the prophecy stating that Oedipus will
kill his father is proved wrong. But the messenger adds some disconcerting
news:

The
messenger tells him that Polybos was not his father and that he, a shepherd, had been
handed the child Oedipus by another shepherd, one of Laius's men. Jocasta tries to
intervene and stop the
revelations...

As Jocasta
begins putting the pieces of the puzzle together, she can not bear the thoughts of being
married to her own son. She hangs herself.

Oedipus blinds
himself with the pins from her dress. He is led away into exile. The plague is
stopped.

Explain the conflict in "The Raven" by Poe.

The main conflict in the poem The Raven,
by Edgar Allan Poe, is the reality of the narrator versus what is going on in
his mind. The poem is about the inability of letting go of the past. It is also about
how we, as humans, tend to associate symbols, sounds, and ideas with the emotions that
we feel at one particular moment.

Yet, in The
Raven, the more the narrator tries to get rid of the memories of his lost
love, the more he holds on to them, making it impossible for him to move
on.

The narrator is a man who is isolated during the cold
and dark month of December in, what seems to be, a cottage. He is obviously in mourning
and going through a period of deep grief.

In the middle of
his sadness he sees a black raven, who enters his place, and reminds him more of the sad
memory of the loss of the love of his life. He compares the raven to many different
things, but he certainly personifies it as a harborer of bad news. The bird is
seemingly quite comfortable inside the cottage, and does not leave. This is interpreted
by the narrator as an allegory to the memories that will not leave him
either.

Therefore, this conflict between forgetting versus
remembering and letting go versus keeping alive the memory, is what composes the main
problem in the poem.

How does Juliet's mother's behavior—when Capulet gets angry at Juliet—influence the way in which reader views Lady Capulet?in Romeo and Juliet

In Romeo and Juliet, by William
Shakespeare, Juliet's parents are seemingly concerned for Juliet's welfare at
the start of the play. Capulet specifically tells Paris, who is vying for
Juliet's hand, to wait two years to pursue her, and then, that
Paris must also win Juliet's consent.

Juliet secretly
marries Romeo, and then Romeo kills Tybalt. At this point, Capulet completely changes is
mind (perhaps thinking Juliet grieves too much for her cousin…while she is secretly
grieving more for Romeo's banishment), quickly sets a wedding date with Paris
without Juliet's consent, and demands that Juliet marry Paris.
Juliet href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/demur">demurs. Lady Capulet
tells Capulet this, and he comes into the room raging. He first tells Juliet that he
doesn't want to hear her polite refusals: if she doesn't agree, Capulet promises Juliet
he will drag her to the church. Then he says that if she refuses, he will kick her out
into the street. Lady Capulet stands up for Juliet, questioning her husband's harshness
and sanity, accusing him of going too far.

readability="7">

LADY:

Fie,
fie! what, are you mad?
(III.v.161)

Lady Capulet
tries
again.

LADY:

You
are too hot. (183)

The Nurse
tries to defend Juliet, who is beside herself. Capulet basically tells her to shut her
mouth.

readability="10">

CAP:

And
why, my Lady Wisdom? Hold your tongue,

Good Prudence.
Smatter with your gossips, go!
(175-176)

Capulet refuses to
back down, and in an instant, Lady Capulet completely changes her tune. When Capulet
leaves, Juliet's mother tells her daughter that she is finished with Juliet from here
on, out.

readability="9">

LADY:

Talk
not to me, for I'll not speak a word.

Do as thou wilt, for
I have done with thee.
(211-212)

As quickly as
Capulet can leave the room, Lady Capulet turns her back on her only child. We
might assume Lady Capulet stood up to her husband in order to
appear the "concerned mother," perhaps knowing as she did so that Capulet would
still have his way—he is after all, the
patriarch, and Lady Capulet would realistically have little (or nothing) to say in this
marital arrangement. We have, however, also seen the less than gentle side of Lady
Capulet. In Act One, when fighting breaks out in the streets, Capulet calls for a sword,
while Lady Capulet insults him by telling him that he should be
asking for a crutch. Perhaps she simply likes to defy her husband whenever possible, and
does so here. Either way, we know now that she is inconstant, and will not stand behind
her child.

Regardless of the reason that she decides to
remove her support of Juliet, Lady Capulet contributes—in albeit a small way—to the
tragedy of Romeo and her daughter, Juliet.

What does the following quote from D.H. Lawrence's novel, Sons and Lovers, mean? "An' I says, 'Tha'd better stan' on a bit o' clunch, an' hold it...

In this phrase from D.H. Lawrence's Sons and
Lovers, a gaffer (in England a foreman, in particular the overseer of a group
of laborers) comes to Paul Morel—who works in the mines—and complains about the props. A
"prop" is some kind of beam, pole or structural support to hold something up. When Morel
responds, he uses the word "clunch" which, in parts of Europe, particularly in England
and Normandy, it refers to a common building material (hardened
clay).

This comment is made by Morel at a tavern or pub,
which he frequents on a regular basis:

readability="10">

An' I says, 'Tha'd better stan' on a bit o'
clunch, an' hold it up wi' thy 'ead.' So 'e wor that mad, 'e cossed an' 'e swore, an'
t'other chap.

According to
Morel, when the gaffer complains, Morel meets his concerns with a flippant (or
disrespectful) response. He basically says:

readability="9">

And I said, "Thou [You] had better stand on a bit
of clunch [hardened clay] and hold it [the "ceiling" of the mine] up with thy [your]
head." And the gaffer was so mad, he cursed and he swore at the other chap
[man].

It would appear that
Morel is venting his own person frustration. His home life is hard, living with a
Puritan woman who punishes him for his failings, not seeing him at all for who he is,
but who he could be. It is a struggle for Paul Morel. He spends
some time, almost everyday of the week, drinking, though it rarely interfers with his
work. It does, however, support the notion that Morel aggravates others for the pleasure
of it. Perhaps this makes him feel that he has some small control
over what happens in his life.

What is the basic theme of Barchester Towers by Trollope?

This novel is all about the way in which the church and
its ministers are more often than not concerned with material rather than spiritual
concerns. The central power struggle between Slope and Miss Proudie indicates that often
ministers within the church are concerned by far more worldly concerns than their
spirtual calling, and this novel parodies such visions of people holding office in the
church as spiritual men through their presentation as very worldly men after all.
Indeed, part of the strength of this satire is the way that Trollope presents the
characters as using religious motivations to justify their actions. Slope therefore
believes that Grantly is an enemy of religion, whilst the archdeacon in turn believes
sincerely that Slope could be the ruin of the Church of England. At every turn,
supposedly noble motives are used to cover or disguise what is essentially a power
struggle, and Trollope emphasises the satire by treating this clerical struggles with
mock-heroic comparisons.

Why is there a need for change in Shakepeare's Romeo and Juliet as well as in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Innocent people are dying in both stories. Because of
prejudices between two families, Romeo and Juliet both die. Sadly, two beautiful young
people lose their lives because two families cannot get along. The prejudice is
unnecessary. By the end of the story, two families unite because of Romeo's and Juliet's
deaths, but it is too late to bring their children
back.

The
Montagues and Capulets promise to end their hostilities, which have caused the deaths of
their only children.

In
To Kill A Mocking Bird, Tom Robinson dies because of prejudices. He
is condemned for a crime he didn't commit. In Maycomb, there is so much prejuduce
against blacks. Tom Robinson does not stand a chance in the town of Maycomb because he
is black.

Both these stories are based on the cruelty
associated with prejudices. Because people are ignorant in their prejudices, Romeo,
Juliet, and Tom Robinson die. It is a senseless shame that other people's prejudices
could cause innocent people to suffer death.

What is the critical overview of the story "The Gift of the Magi"?

The Gift of the Magi is an excellent story on the
scripture that states it is more blessed to give than receive, found in Acts
20:35:

I have
shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is
more blessed to give
than
to receive.

Truly
Della is much more blessed giving than she is receiving. Now, with her hair gone, she
cannot use the expensive combs. Likewise, her husband Jim cannot use the platinum watch
chain. This story is based on the blessing of giving, not
receiving.

Throughout this story, the art of giving is
highlighted. In fact, it is compared to the Three Wise Men who gave abundantly to the
Christ child. They wanted nothing in exchange.

While the
story reflects a giving heart, it should be noted that Della and Jim are amazing people.
They give unselfishly. Their prized possessions are the first thing they give. Della
gives her hair and her husband gives his gold watch. The gifts they bought in exchange
cost more than the dollars they paid. The gifts they bought in exchange cost Jim and
Della heart and soul.

When Della and her husband parted
with their prized possession, they proved their magnanimous love one for the other. This
story is more than a fairy-tale type love with a happily ever after ending. This story
teaches the reader the value in giving up something that means so much in exchange for
something to make another person happy, even if it makes one sad. The ending of this
story has both a sad and happy ending.

Who gives like this?
Who would give up something as precious as one's hair? Della does. She gave up her very
adornment. Likewise, Jim gives up a family heirloom. He parted with something that had
been passed down through the generations. It cannot be replaced. When the reader learns
to give sacrificially as Jim and Della have, the world will go lacking nothing. That is
the point the author is making.

What was the position of the federal government regarding slavery during Nat Turner's Rebellion?The federal government surpressed the rebellion by...

I assume that you are asking why the federal government
helped to suppress the rebellion.  If so, the answer is that slavery was completely
legal in 1831, which was when Turner's rebellion happened.  The federal government did
not prohibit slavery in any existing states, though it had specified (in the Missouri
Compromise) which territories could and could not have
slavery.

In 1831, a slave living in a slave state was
legally the property of his or her owner.  Slavery was, in states where it was legal,
just as legal as owning a horse or a cow.  Because of this, it is not surprising that
the federal government would help to put down a slave rebellion.  After all, the
government was simply helping to uphold the law.

Slavery
was completely legal in Virginia and many other states.  The federal government had no
position on the legality of slavery in 1831 except for the fact that it accepted the
laws of the various states on the issue.

What is the theme of Mulk Raj Anand's Untouchable?usru

Untouchable is Mulk Raj Anand's first
novel and it brought to him immense popularity and prestige. This novel shows the
realistic picture of society. In this novel Anand has portrayed a picture of untouchable
who is sweeper boy. This character is the representative of all down trodden society in
pre-independence of India. The protagonist of this novel is the figure of suffering
because of his caste. With Bakha, the central character, there are other characters who
also suffer because of their lower caste. They live in mud-walled cottages huddled
colony in which people are scavengers, the leather-workers, the washer men, the barbers,
the water-carriers, the grass-cutters and other outcastes. The lower castes people are
suffering because they are by birth outcaste. But Mulk Raj Anand had depicted the
hypocrisy of the upper caste people that men like Pt. Kali Nath enjoy the touch of the
Harijan girls. Mulk Raj Anand exposes all this hypocrisy and double standard or double
dealing. In this novel Bakha is a universal figure to show the oppression, injustice,
humiliation to the whole community of the outcastes in India. Bakha symbolizes the
exploitation and oppression which has been the fate of untouchables like him. His
anguish and humiliation are not of his alone, but the suffering of whole outcastes and
underdogs.

Untouchable shows the evil of untouchability in
Hindu Society The novel's emphasis on an individual's attempt to emancipate himself from
the age old evil of untouchability.Anand is here, concerned
with evils of untouchability and the need for radical empathy. He describes the pathetic
conditions of the untouchables through the character Bakha, their immitigable hardships
and physical and mental agonies almost with the meticulous skill of historical
raconteur. In the words of Marlene Fisher:

…Anand's first
novel, then, is at one and the same time a fine piece of creative work in terms of its
own artistic integrity and an indication of it author's humanistic commitments and
future novelistic directions.1

Untouchable is a faithful
recordation and a transcription of the pathetic plight of untouchables who are subjected
to immitigable social indignities, "only because of their lowly birth." Anand depicted
the miserable condition of the small family of Lakha, the jamadar of the sweepers. Anand
not only throws light on their object poverty and suffering but also focuses its
attention on their low-caste. As K.N. Sinha comments:

…The
novel has a tragic beauty of its own. The will to revolt and the sheer impossibility of
successful doing so under the circumstances constitute the basic tension in the novel.
The hero is simultaneously a rebel and victim. His anguish becomes our sorrow. But Bakha
has no tragic status as scapegoat and a victim, tyrannized by a recalcitrant society. He
is the lowest of the lowly whose destiny does not suffer any appreciable
erocion.2

What are the real solutions of the equation? log2(x+1)+log2(x-2)=2

Since the bases of the logarithms are matching, we'll
apply the product property:

log 2(x+1)+log2(x-2)=log2
[(x+1)(x-2)]

We'll re-write the
equation:

log2 [(x+1)(x-2)] =
2

We'll take
antilogarithms:

[(x+1)(x-2)] =
2^2

[(x+1)(x-2)] = 4

We'll
remove the brakets:

x^2 - x - 2 - 4 =
0

x^2 - x - 6 = 0

We'll apply
quadratic formula:

x1 = [1+sqrt(1 +
24)]/2

x1 = (1 + 5)/2

x1 =
3

x2 = -2

Since
the common interval of admissible values for x (values that make the logarithms to
exist) is (2 , +infinite), we'll reject the negative value and we'll keep as solution of
equation only x = 3.

I am having trouble finding a particular quote for The Catcher in the Rye.I know that the quote talks about about people sticking to the chess club...

I think that the quote of which you speak is located in
Chapter 17.  Holden is giving his opinion about the very nature of phoniness that exists
at a Boys' school, and in the process reflects how he, himself, does not belong
anywhere.  It is a quote that is reflective of many elements.  The first is that Holden
has a very distinct view of the social setting of school, and adolescence, in general. 
Defining socialization through the deliberate use of the word "clique," Holden defines
the process by which people socialize as one of division.  In "everyone sticking
together," Holden also brings out how there is little in way of social diversity and
interaction.  Holden brings out how there is only separate monologues, and not true
dialogue.  At the same time, there is a bit of longing in his assessment because as he
criticizes everyone "sticking together" with their own clique, there does not seem to be
any domain that includes him.  There is a note of bitterness in this light, bringing out
the complex relationship Holden possesses towards how social constructions are both made
and his association with them.

What happens to a tennis ball in free-fall when it is dropped?

Let us assume you are dropping the ball from a height H.
At the instant the ball leaves your hand it has no velocity. But a force of
gravitational attraction is acting on the ball that makes it accelerate downwards at 9.8
m/s^2. This number may vary slightly depending of the altitude and the resistance due to
air, but for general purposes we can take the figure to be 9.8
m/s^2.

The velocity of ball t seconds after it has left
your hand is equal to 9.8*t m/s.

The distance the ball
travels in t seconds is equal to (1/2)*9.8*t^2 m

In the Guy de Maupassant short story, "The Necklace," how can you prove that to Mathilde, the necklace symbolized wealth and power?

Author Guy de Maupassant uses the necklace to illustrate
the primary themes of his classic short
story.

• GREED VS.
  GENEROSITY. Mathilde shows a greedy streak through the
  first part of the story (until she loses the necklace). She badgers her husband into
  using his savings to buy her an expensive dress, but she still isn't happy until she
  visits her old friend, Madame Forestier, and borrows the necklace. Monsieur Loisel's and
  Madame Forestier's generosity is a stark contrast to Mathilde's greed for the
  spotlight.


• CLASS CONFLICT. 
  The necklace, Mathilde believes, is necessary for her to convince everyone at the ball
  that she and her husband--mere lower class bourgeoisie--deserve to
  attend such a high brow event. The dress alone was not enough; it was the necklace that
  completed Mathilde's
  transformation.


• APPEARANCE
  VS. REALITY.  Little is what it seems to be
  in "The Necklace"--especially the necklace. Mathilde believes the necklace will fool
  everyone into believing she is the belle of the ball, and her wish is fulfilled.
  However, the necklace is nothing but paste, a fact that neither she nor anyone else in
  attendance realizes. The loss of the necklace and the resulting expense of purchasing a
  replacement reduces what seemed to be a drab life into one of utter hardship for
  Mathilede and her husband. The fact that the genuine diamond necklace that was
  returned was not even recognized as authentic by Madame Forestier (and why such a
  wealthy woman would own such a cheap knockoff) is even more
  ironic.   

l

In The Lesson, do you think Miss Moore made the right decision to teach children?Cite at least one example to prove your answer

Ironically, Miss Moore is not a certified teacher, but a
woman who feels that educating the neighborhood children is her drive and goal.  She
finds little resistance from the parents, who are more than happy to have their children
out of the house.   She packs them off to FAO Schwartz so that they can look at toys
with prices they could never afford.  In the process, she hopes they will learn that
differenced do exist between the classes and that money will get the children more in
life.  Ultimately, the lesson is that no, life isn't fair, but that it is better if you
are wealthy.

It is hard to answer this question because the
narrator, Sylvia, is so opposed to the lesson herself.  As an intelligent and
street-wise girl, Sylvia has always understood the subject of the lesson, but balks at
admitting it.  Admitting her understanding would, according to Sylvia, indicate
weakness.  In addition, she becomes annoyed when her friends begin to "succumb" to the
lesson. 

Miss Moore is not teaching arithmatic or
diagramming sentences.  She is, in fact, teaching life lessons.  These lessons are
vital, so yes, she did make the right decision.

In Treasure Island, why doesn't Jim agree to "run for it" with Dr. Livesey?

The answer to this question can be found in Chapter 30 of
the book.  Briefly, Jim will not agree to "run for it" with the doctor because he has
promised Long John Silver that he will not.  Jim does not feel that it would be right
for him to go back on his word.

Jim feels that he owes it
to Silver to keep his word.  Earlier, Silver has really stuck his neck out for Jim.  He
has persuaded the other pirates not to kill Jim when Jim falls into their hands.  Not
surprisingly, that makes Jim feel like he should play fair with Silver.  Before he is
allowed to talk to the doctor, Jim has to swear that he won't run away.  Because he owes
Silver, and because he is an honest person, Jim refuses to go back on his
oath.